Palladium Books® Weekly Update – February 23, 2012

By Kevin Siembieda

I would proclaim “Palladium Books is back,” except we were never really gone. The response to the Rifts® Lemuria Megaverse® Insider and Visioncon have made me realize that.

When you’re beat up and worn out, you start to lose sight of reality and begin to lose yourself to negativity. You start to believe the negative press and see a gathering of storm clouds looming overhead.

The Megaverse Insider and Visioncon have dispelled those dark clouds and brought me back to sunny reality. That reality is simple: We are ready to bring you one great product after another, make Palladium strong again and begin a new era of greatness. I’m not kidding.

Both of these events made me realize that Palladium Books has built a legacy of great games, fun world settings and memories that are cherished and can’t be stopped. Palladium continues to unleash imagination like no other RPG company around. I’m not saying there aren’t other great games, game designers and game companies. I’m saying Palladium Books has a 31 year history of creating RPGs that focus on world-building, characters and storytelling that nobody does better. Nobody. We were the very first to specialize in characters and story and that remains our focus. If you are looking to create memorable, lasting characters and fun RPG experiences, Palladium is the source to make it happen.

Since my return from a wonderful time at Visioncon, I have been inspired and highly motivated, fueled by the love and encouragement I was showered with at the convention and by the outpouring of support the rest of you have shown us in response to our first Megaverse Insider offer.

Person after person told me how much my work at Palladium (and even these Weekly Updates) mean to them. Palladium has played a BIG role in many of your lives. Not just bringing adventure and silly fun into your homes and dorm rooms, but into your lives.

I heard story after story from person after person about how much my games and books have meant to them, how much joy they have brought them, how they met their spouse and/or life-long friends by playing Palladium’s games. And how they want more. More books for all of Palladium’s game lines, more adventure and more game worlds for decades to come.

Well, I intend to make that happen. And in a big way. And you – all of you – are making it possible via the Megaverse Insider, purchases of back stock and other product, the Rifter® subscription drive, and your continued input, love and support. I think some people at Visioncon were surprised by my openness to them and their ideas and suggestions. Are you kidding? I love talking with fellow gamers (as my panel talk that ran from 6:00 PM till almost midnight shows). YOUR excitement makes me excited. Your ideas fire up my imagination and breed new ideas.

You’d think after the outpouring of support we saw during the Crisis of Treachery I would know this already. And I do. But 2006 feels like a million years ago, and hardship has seemed to follow us these past several years. Sometimes, you just need to see it and hear it again. Thank you for giving me that perspective again. Thank you for reminding me that you believe in us and want all the new, quality product we can pump out. Thank you, for being you.

The multitude of gamers who approached me at Visioncon with heaps of appreciation, hugs, handshakes, books to sign and the stories about the adventures and joy our role-playing games have provided in gaming as well as in real life, has given me renewed drive and enthusiasm. This, coupled with the exciting response to the Lemuria Megaverse® Insider, has stoked my inner fires and my imagination. And I am focused and ready to unleash a tidal wave of books to send you into gamer Nirvana.

Get this . . .

All of the following has happened since my return from Visioncon and with the resources provided by the Lemuria Megaverse® Insider exceeding our conservative goal.

UPDATE: Me. I’m on fire writing and coordinating a dozen projects large and small – and that number is not an exaggeration. Btw, I have my diabetes well under control, I lost 50 pounds, exercise daily and I’m feeling good.

UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. 1. We have the money to cover all expenses for the book. 2. The book is getting closer and closer to completion every day, and you are going to love it. 3. I have Chuck drawing up a handful of additional new illustrations. 4. Writing has been going very well, indeed. Wish there were more hours in the day.

UPDATE: Out of stock titles coming back in print. I have already sent Rifts® Dimension Book 5: Anvil Galaxy™ to the printer for a short-run printing. It will be available by next week. Listed in no particular order Wolfen Empire™ (for Palladium Fantasy®), Mutant Underground™ (HU2), Rifts® Mindwerks™, Rifts® Mercenaries, Rifts® Splynn Dimensional Market™, and other out of print books will follow – I’m thinking one or two a week over the next month or so.

UPDATE: Palladium Bookmarks Set 2. Since everyone is enjoying the first set so much, Wayne and I are working on a new set of bookmarks.

UPDATE: New advertising. Wayne and I are working up new ads for two different venues and looking into others. If we see a last minute surge in the Megaverse Insider in the final days this weekend, we might have the resources to finally print a 2012 Catalog.

UPDATE: Palladium Comic Books. I have been able to push one comic book project forward and others are being discussed.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #0.1 (PDF). I’m trying to get it back on track for release this Spring!

UPDATE: Gen Con Indy. We reserved our hotel rooms this week.

UPDATE: Rifts® Northern Gun™. The first handful of illustrations have come in from Nick Bradshaw and they rock. Chuck Walton will be showing me more concept sketches for Northern Gun mecha tomorrow.

UPDATE: Strengthening Palladium. I have been able to meet our most pressing bills and get caught up on a few other fronts. This is excellent as it takes pressure off me and the crew, and gives us all some breathing room.

All that in just the last three and half days!

Meanwhile . . .

UPDATE: Megaverse® Insider offer is extended a couple days over the weekend.Offer ends Sunday night, February 26, 2012. No,this is not a bid to make more money, it is for you.

It has been brought to my attention that by ending the Insider offer on Friday, as originally planned, a lot of gamers might not be able to order, and I don’t want to disappoint anybody. I didn’t think about it at the time, but many people (Palladium included) don’t get paid till Friday. Those getting paid on Friday might not be able to deposit their checks till Friday night or even Saturday morning. It didn’t dawn on me when we originally set the time period, that gamers might want and expect to have the entire last weekend to place their final orders.

After all, this isn’t just about raising money for Palladium Books, it’s about getting cool, limited edition product available ONLY through the Lemuria Megaverse® Insider offers. My apologies for this oversight. I sure don’t want to shortchange anybody, so I’m only extending the deadline from ending on Friday night to Sunday night. We’re doing this for YOU, so if there is a hardcover or something you want, this weekend is your last chance. There is no reason to extend this offer any longer except to give everyone a fair shot at getting Insider product. Please spread the word and thank you for your understanding and support. Game on! The Megaverse Insider offer ENDS Sunday night, February 26, 2012.

Megaverse® Insider Products: Besides giving Palladium Books a boost, there are several “opportunities” you might want to purchase. Products that are ONLY available through this offer that end this weekend.

12001. Getting your name listed as Inside Help. I’m surprised by the number of people who want to see their name listed in Rifts® Lemuria under this category. Enjoy.

12002. In Memoriam. Having lost so many loved ones in recent years, I thought this would be a nice thing to offer. It’s touching to see so many people taking advantage of it.

12003. A “real character” listing is just silly fun, because it lets you list the name of your character in the book. Again, I’m glad to see so many people enjoy this opportunity.

12004. PDF copy of Rifts® Lemuria. Some of you guys and gals have been screaming for PDFs of new releases for years. Well, here you go. Note: We have not made a final determination of exactly how we will deliver the PDF, but we promise we will NOT do anything that will overload your mailboxes or cause you any hardship. Trust us on this.

12005. Rifts® Lemuria Hardcover Edition. This has the same color cover as the softcover edition. Limited to the number of copies purchased by you “Insiders” (+48 copies for staff and special promotions).

12006. Rifts® Lemuria “Emerald” Hardcover Collector’s Edition. Think gold edition except the foil printing is green and only “Insiders” who buy this book will have a copy (+24 for staff and special promotions).

The future of the Megaverse® Insider

Will Palladium fund all of its new releases this way? No, but we will be doing it again, probably for major new releases and special projects.

Will there be future Megaverse Insider offers? Yes, but after consulting with you, our fans and customers, we will probably limit them to once in a while and for major releases like Rifts® Megaverse in Flames, and maybeRifts® Northern Gun and/or the two Beyond the Supernatural books, and special projects like a Palladium Fantasy® RPG Ultimate Edition (something I’ve been secretly kicking around for several years – but no promises). I plan to take our cue from YOU, so please let us know what YOU would like to see from us by way of Megaverse Insider offers and new products.

FYI: Some people have asked what happens if Palladium does not meet it goal for a Megaverse Insider crowdsource fund-raiser. First, as is common among crowdsource funding, we’d aim low and hope for more. Second, if we can release the product(s) with the Insider money raised plus moneys from other sources, we would combine those funds to make it happen. In the event Palladium did not raise enough to publish, the Insider money would be refunded to all contributors. However, we plan to only solicit funding for projects we KNOW are close to being finished and that we are confident we can get into print even if the Insider falls short of its stated goal. And again, this will NOT be every new release, only major ones.

Remember, as much as this helps Palladium release product, I want our crowdsource funding via the Megaverse Insider to be fun and worthwhile for you. Again, we’ll be taking our cues from the input we get from you.

In Other News

VISIONCON was a blast. In fact, it reminded me a bit of the Palladium Open House (coming up fast). My thanks to EVERYONE who came to my panel talk or table to say hello, get autographs, and chat. I really enjoyed my time with you. I met many memorable and generous people, including Joe W. Ryan, John McDonald, Chris, Melissa, Bryan, Jennifer, Dave, Jamey, Ashley, Justin, Bo, Robert, Bear, John, Joe, Dennis, Thomas, Rob, Mark, Kyle, and many, many others.

Of course, a special thanks to the convention organizers who were kind enough to bring me in as a guest, and treated me like one of their own. I want to especially thank Ashley Wiggs, Melody Cutbirth, Kevin Cutbirth, David Stanfield, Mark Fairleigh, David Barrett, Brandon Perkins, Chris Harris, Scott New, Dave Harp and a million other Visioncon folks who made my guest appearance possible and fun.

Speaking of Palladium’s own, Mark Oberle was kind enough to help me out the ENTIRE weekend as well as show me and Jolly and Barbara Blackburn around Springfield, Missouri, Friday morning. Mark, you are awesome, thank you. It was truly great seeing Madman Mike Leonard hobbling around and meeting his wife, as well as hanging with Lucas Buck and Bo (sorry, don’t remember his last name, but he’s an outstanding role-player).

A personal, special highlight of Visioncon was being able to spend a weekend with my dear friend Jolly Blackburn, the mad genius behind Knights of the Dinner Table (KoDT) and Shadis Magazine, as well as his charming wife, Barbara. I love that guy and enjoyed every minute with Barb and Jolly. Continued success and happiness to you both (and let’s talk soon). See my Visioncon Murmur from the Megaverse for details about my trip to Springfield, Missouri. (Not the home of Homer Simpson, though I coulda swore I saw him on two separate occasions.)

Game with Kevin Siembieda and Julius Rosenstein at the Westland Library

– February 25, 2012 – 1-4 PM

Julius and I (the three other G.M.s bailed on us) will be hosting a special Role-Playing Game event at the Westland Library for ages 12-28. Julius is running a Rifts® adventure, I’m running a Palladium Fantasy® adventure. I had hoped to have one or two other G.M.s to run stuff as well, but one had to work, the other got stuck with other commitments and the other couldn’t make it. Hmmmm, I suspect they are afraid to run a bunch of youngsters. Cowards. ;) Julius can accommodate 8-10 players and I can run as many as 14. There’s gonna be free pizza and pop, too. FYI: This is a great way to introduce a new generation to Palladium role-playing games. Sign up by calling the library at (734) 326-6123 or online at http://www.westlandlibrary.org/node/3089. The gaming is from 1-4 PM, Saturday, February 25, 2012. The library is located on Central City Parkway between Ford Road and Warren.

The Rifter® Super-Subscription drive was a success. The special offer is over and hundreds of you took advantage of it. Smart. Welcome aboard The Rifter® idea resource. Those you who have been getting The Rifter® for years know what a great resource is it. Those of you who are new to it, will soon find out. Of course, you can subscribe anytime, you just don’t get the FREE gift. Enjoy and thank you.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria. I’m working on it. I’m working on it. As soon as I’m done writing this Weekly Update, a Murmur and some ads, I’m right back writing and editing.

UPDATE: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™. It is next on my list. March release.

UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook. Immediately follows Endless Dead. It is another book that will surprise and delight. March release.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: The Black Market. It’s written by Matthew Clements with additional material by Taylor White. It is just the first of many books to be authored by Matthew.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One. Is there anyone not anxiously awaiting this book? Will probably slide into an April or May release.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #58. More exciting fan-created material for the Palladium Megaverse. Send in your submission for our consideration. April release.

UPDATE: Robotech® Genesis Pits™ Sourcebook. I’m still waiting to get the final manuscript from Irvin Jackson. April release.

UPDATE: Rifts®/Minion War™: Megaverse® in Flames™. This is one of the most hotly anticipated books of the year and when you see it, you’ll know why. This book will blow your mind.‘Nuff said for now.

UPDATE: Online Sales. This is the third week of outstanding sales! Please keep ‘em coming and make yours Palladium.

Sneak Previews on DriveThruRPG.com are coming soon, starting with Rifts® Lemuria (maybe next week). There are 90+ backstock titles, including back issues of The Rifter®, first edition rule books, other sneak previews and the Rifts® Game Master Kit, all available as PDF downloads at reasonable prices.

The Rifter® #57

– Available now

Looking for new ideas and material for your campaign? Then you want The Rifter®. The greatest value of The Rifter® is that every issue offers new and different ideas, and gets your imagination running in directions you might not have considered. It’s an idea factory that will help you generate new ideas of your own, and it also presents valuable source material you can drop right into your games.

The Rifter® is your doorway to unlimited imagination and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new monsters, villains, characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, adventure and ideas for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least two or three other Palladium game lines.

The Rifter® #57 is an extravaganza of monsters and mayhem to surprise your players and spice up your games.

– Available only till February 26, 2012

NEW! Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™

Ships March

Endless Dead says it all. The zombie hordes grow in number and strangeness. Can humankind survive? Where is the military? What’s next for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse?

This book contains horrifying new zombies to haunt your player characters along with new O.C.C.s and tons of tables for detailing Survivors’ Hideouts, Safe Haven Communities, Death Cults and more. Survival is not enough. Now is the time for the war against the Endless Dead™. This book is epic.

New types of zombies include the Fused Zombie, Multi-Zombie, Parasite Juggernaut and Walking Mass Grave.

New O.C.C.s include the Wheelman, Zombie Hunter, Zombie Researcher, Survivalist and Watcher.

Information on vehicles and tables for adding custom armor, weapons and anti-zombie defenses.

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™

Unknown to most humans, deep within Mexico the vampires have established entire kingdoms. There they live like tyrants and gods, dominating an underclass of cattle people used as slaves and food stock. Learn more about the vampires, their rivals, allies and the humans who willingly serve their supernatural masters for a chance to join the undead. A must-have guide for those who wish to travel deeper into the Vampire Kingdoms or play as vampires and their human minions.

More human kingdoms within Mexico like the Tampico Military Protectorate and Durango, the Silver City.

Firefighting robots, hover firetrucks and more anti-vampire gear.

Magic based Vampire Hunters and human strongholds.

Techno-Wizard anti-vampire weapons and magical devices.

Profiles for Doc Reid and Reid’s Rangers, the world’s most famous Vampire Hunters.

Fort Reid, an entire city devoted to hunting the undead.

The Bloodwatch, a secret vampire intelligence agency that tracks down and exterminates Vampire Hunters.

The Yucatan Peninsula, a mysterious dimensional pocket overrun by strange demons known as Xibalbans.

The return of the Mayan god Camazotz, Lord of Bats and Darkness.

The werebeasts of Mexico and Central America; those who assist the vampires and those who fight against them.

Rifts® Black Market™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook

On Rifts® Earth, the Black Market is the most prevalent trader in weapons, contraband and magic items outlawed by the Coalition. Explore the day to day business of the market along with its smuggling routes, practices, policies and nefarious products. Encounter the five major Black Market factions in North America and foreign groups like the Yakuza, Green Scarf Sect and the Underground Railroads of Atlantis and the Vampire Kingdoms.

Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One

The largest independent manufacturer of weapons, robots and adventure gear in North America is Northern Gun™. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they have been the premier outfitter of mercenaries and adventurers for decades, and are a major hub for hiring military contractors. With a whole new product line to offer their customers, the future looks bright for Northern Gun™.

The arms giant Northern Gun profiled for the first time!

The Kingdom of Ishpeming, a puppet-state propped up by NG.

Full 109 P.A. catalog of Northern Gun products!

New weapons, power armor, vehicles, robots and adventure gear.

The Ishpeming military, essentially a framework for hiring mercenaries and privateers.

The NG Bounty Board, the largest collection of bounties and mercenary contracts anywhere on Rifts® Earth.

Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction. Their influence shakes things up across the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. More details to follow, but for now, ‘nuff said.

Soulmancer and Blood Magic.

The Seven Deadly Plagues.

The Demon Plagues across the globe.

Battleground: Earth – as demons and infernals amass their legions.

Rifts Calgary – also known as Hell’s Pit; the kingdom described.

Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.

Lord Doom, Pain and other demonic leaders.

Horune treachery, Dimension Stormers and other villains.

Global chaos and the places most dramatically affected by the Demon Plagues.

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made 90 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include: